


You Got Your Wish

by GeezerWench



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Character Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-01-29
Packaged: 2017-11-27 09:22:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/660338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeezerWench/pseuds/GeezerWench
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella pleaded with werewolf Jacob not to become involved in the fight with the Cullens against the army of volatile newborn vampires. The blood thirsty newborns making their way from Seattle to Forks in search of her. This time he listened to her. She got her wish. One shot. Violence. Character death. With banners and pictures on http://geezerwench.com/</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Got Your Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Beta services performed by 2Shaes and TitaRitter of Project Team Beta.
> 
> A/N: Violence. Character death.
> 
> With banners and pictures on http://geezerwench.com/

**You Got Your Wish**

 

 

 

 

"Wait, Jake!" I called after him. "Please! Don't do this!"

He paused, turning back to grin at me, while Quil and Embry headed impatiently for the door. "Don't be stupid, Bella. This is a much better gift than the one I gave you," he said as he pointed to the silver bracelet holding the reddish brown wolf he'd carved. It was his graduation gift to me.

I knew this graduation party that Alice had planned was a bad idea and it had just gotten worse. Right in the middle of the party, the Cullen home filled with the recently graduated seniors of Forks High, Alice had had a vision of the newborns coming here to Forks to find me. We knew they were coming for me. Alice had seen one of the newborns carrying the red blouse that had disappeared from my room.

Jake had just given me the bracelet he had made when he saw the blank look steal over Alice's face. Right before she raced up the stairs to speak with Edward, Carlisle and Jasper.

Though I tried to pull my arm from his grasp, Jake wouldn't let me go without him. Sighing in exasperation, Jake and I, and his pack brothers Quil and Embry, marched up the stairs to Carlisle's study. As we entered the room, they were discussing battle plans to intercept and defeat the newborns. Jake, eager for a fight and the chance to rip apart vampires, offered to speak to Alpha Sam of the shape shifting wolf pack about joining with the Cullens to fight the newborns.

Jake smirked as he crossed his arms over his wide chest. "You know, those newborn leeches wouldn't be expecting us, and it'd be great to finally meet up with some vampires I'd be allowed to rip to shreds."

Despite the insults, Jasper's eyes gleamed with the idea the advantage that adding more than a dozen horse-sized wolves to the "fighting unit" would bring.

Edward, seeing the possibilities in Jasper's military trained mind, broke into a broad grin and clapped him on the shoulder. "Yes! They won't be expecting it all. They won't know about the wolves and it will be utter chaos."

A sly smile spread across Jasper's face. "Alice had seen there were twenty-one newborns. Between the seven of us, and the surprise of the wolves, those newborns will be handled."

Emmett had joined the war conference and clapped his hands together, his face beaming. "It'll be a piece of cake!"

I looked from Emmett's eager face, to Jasper's calculating one, to Jacob's thoughtful demeanor, and my heart fell.

_No! Not Jacob!_

To me, the tiny, intricately detailed wolf on my bracelet symbolized Jake and all of his werewolf brothers and sister. It would be so easy to take it between my fingers and crush it into tiny slivers of wood. The same way that army of newborn vampires would crush Jake and his pack.

"No!" I shouted again. "You can't do this! None of you can do this! I can't have you fighting all those newborns for me. I can't stand it. I can't lose you!"

Edward came to me and wrapped me in his strong arms. I leaned into his chest and breathed in his sweet scent of honey and sunshine, but it had no calming effect this time. Dread and fear of losing him, losing any of them, gripped my heart with its frozen fingers. It was difficult to even breathe.

"Bella." Edward kissed the top of my head. "The only thing that can stop a vampire is another vampire. Or the wolves. Jake and his pack were born to fight vampires. If we join with the wolves, we can easily beat the newborns."

Jasper slid into my line of sight. "Bella, if we work together with the wolves, those newborns, and whoever created them, will never know what hit them. We can draw them away and keep them from ever reaching Forks. We can ambush them and destroy them." Jasper's arms went around Alice's petite frame and he drew her into his chest.

"But we don't know who made them." I hated how my voice sounded tiny, pathetic, and weak against Edward's chest.

Jasper reached to touch my shoulder. "It makes no difference who created them, Bella. A newborn vampire is a newborn vampire. They are strong, blood thirsty, out of control, and ruled by their instincts. But I controlled armies of them for more than fifty years. I know how they are. If we join forces, the newborns' natural aversion to, and fear of, the wolves will work in our favor."

I know Jasper was trying to calm me with his empathic gift, make me understand what they were trying to say, but I was so frantic with fear of losing any of them it just was not getting through. I was near panic and it felt as if I couldn't get enough air. I saw Jasper glance up at Edward and Edward gave him a nod.

Jasper stepped away from Alice and placed his right hand against my face. Skin to skin contact was supposed to make his gift stronger, but I could not feel it.

"Bella, look at me."

Of their own accord, my tear-filled eyes went to Jasper's golden ones. Edward unclasped his arms from around me and Jasper slid his other hand across my right cheek.

"Bella." His voice was low and composed. "You are nearly panicking. Let me help you."

With my face caught between his large hands, his grip became more firm against my skin. "I am confident that this will work. We will prevent the newborns from reaching Forks, and we _will_ destroy them."

I tried to slow my breathing, but it wasn't working against my fear. "No Jasper! I can't let any of you be hurt because of me! Jake and the wolves are just teenagers - just boys. They can't do this!"

"Bella, stop fighting me." He glanced up. "Edward, I need to knock her out."

I yanked my face from between Jasper's hands and stumbled back into Edward. I hadn't realized he had moved to stand right behind me. My breath was coming faster. I could feel my panic rising.

"Stop it, Jasper! Don't you dare knock me out!" I shouted.

"Bella, I don't need to touch you to knock you out."

I felt Edward's cool arms wrap around me again. "Bella, love, you're going to hyperventilate. Let Jasper help calm you. You're breathing too fast and your heart is racing."

I pulled away from Edward. He let me go otherwise I would have never been able to get away from him. I stood between him and Jasper, facing Jake, Quil and Embry.

"Jake you can't do this! Please don't do this!" I pleaded. "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you!" My breath was coming even faster, and I could feel myself getting lightheaded, but I couldn't let Jake and the other wolves get involved.

Jacob's deep brown eyes hardened as he stared into mine. He glanced to Edward, then to Jasper and back to me.

"Okay Bella. You got your wish. Us _little_ _boys ..."_ he sneered, "... won't help your blood suckers with the newborns. We'll stay home on the Rez. We won't cross the boundary line. And when those newborns get through with Forks and follow _your_ scent to La Push, then me and my little playmates will finish them off. Good bye, Bella."

Jake's large frame spun away from me and he nodded to Embry and Quil. With their jaws set, their dark eyes narrowed, they nodded back to him. They turned as one and all three of them quickly left the room. A moment later, through the sound of the music in the living room, I thought I heard the front door slam behind them.

Alice gasped, and I quickly turned to her. I saw her light golden eyes go blank as she was caught in another vision of the future. Her eyes flicked back and forth as she watched the possible new futures play out in her mind. Behind me, Edward sucked in a breath as Jasper darted to Alice, gripping her tiny shoulders in each of his hands, peering into her eyes.

"Alice, what do you see?'

"Nothing," she choked out. "I see nothing."

-oOoOo-

Two weeks after the ill-fated graduation party at the Cullens' house, Edward and I were sitting at the table in my little kitchen. Edward's long pale fingers were lightly tracing across the backs of my clenched hands. All the thoughts racing through my mind were in a tangled knot.

Thankfully, Charlie had gone to La Push to go fishing with Jacob's father Billy this morning. Even though Jacob hadn't spoken to me in two weeks, I didn't think it was a coincidence that the Quileutes were having an open graduation party, fish fry, and bonfire at First Beach. Open to everyone from the Quileute Reservation and Forks in honor of me, the Forks Police Chief's daughter, graduating from high school. Not that there was any hope it would evacuate the entire town of Forks ...

I had told Charlie I would be out there later in the afternoon. I hated to lie but I couldn't tell him where I might really be. As long as he stayed there, he would probably be safe. Alice's last clear vision of the newborns had shown them reaching Forks today.

It could be any time, and I couldn't stand the stress of waiting. I snatched my hands from under Edward's and jumped up from the table to pace the small room. The tension and anxiety were eating into me; I could not sit still. I felt the nerves throughout my entire body jangling and twitching. The wolf pack was safe at La Push, but what of Edward, Alice and the rest of the Cullens? What about the people in Forks?

Edward watched me for a moment and stood to block my next pass in front of the sink. "Bella," he began. "I know Jasper is not far, let him help you calm down."

I spun away from him. "Edward! Jasper calming me down is not going to change anything. This is all my fault! People are going to die because of me! If I hadn't yelled at Jake then ..."

The shrill ringing of the phone caused me to nearly jump into the kitchen sink, and I leaped for it.

"He ... hello?"

"Hey Bells. When do you think you'll be over here for the party? Billy and I caught a lot of fish for the fish fry. There'll be plenty for everyone."

"Hi Ch ... Dad. I, uh, I'm not sure when I'll be over. Edward and I are going to have lunch before he leaves to go camping with his family." Because Edward and the rest of his family were not allowed to cross the boundary line and enter the wolves' territory, Edward had had to come up with some excuse for why he wouldn't be joining me.

But if I really went to La Push, would the newborns follow me there?

"Oh, right. They're going camping again. Well don't be too long. You know this is in your honor." I could practically hear him rolling his eyes through the phone.

"Yeah, I know, Dad. I wanted to spend some time with Edward b... before they left."

"Are you feeling okay, Bells?" I could hear the concern in his voice.

"Oh... uh, yeah, Dad. I'm fine. You know how I feel about parties and people making a big deal." I glanced up at Edward.

"Yeah, I know. Kinda like your old man. Well, don't take too long. But I got a call about some disturbance out in the hills past the east side of town. I was thinking I should go check it out. Shouldn't take long. I'll be back before you know it."

Edward's eyes widened. With his vampire hearing, he was able to hear every word Charlie said.

"Wh ... what kind of disturbance, Dad?"

"I don't know, Bells. Probably just some kids feeling their oats. I _should_ just leave it to the counties to handle. It's out of my jurisdiction, you know."

"Sure, sure, Ch... Dad. Let the county police handle it. You stay in La Push and enjoy the fish."

"Ya know, I think you, and the Vitamin R, talked me into it." I heard the smile in his voice.

Sighing with relief, I loosened my death grip on the phone. "Okay, Dad. Um, that's good. I know you're having a good time with Billy. I'll see you soon. Be careful."

"Always am. See ya."

"B ... bye Dad."

I hung up the phone and tears rolled down my face as I stared at the receiver. Would I ever see him again? Would I ever speak to him again? Would I even be alive later?

I turned to look at Edward and saw that he had his phone to his ear. His lips were vibrating, but I heard no sound. He was talking at vampire speed to someone in his family.

He pressed the button to end the call, shoved the phone in his pocket and scooped me up into his arms.

"Edward! What is it?" I gasped as he blurred through the kitchen and out the back door at his incredible speed. We were across the yard and into the woods before I could even blink.

"That was Rosalie. She's spotted the newborns about ten miles outside of town. She called Jasper. He's running toward her to head them off."

Oh no! Jasper was going to die and it would be my fault! Alice! Emmett! Where were they? Would Jasper meet the newborns by himself?

As Edward was running, and I was clinging to his chest with all my strength to hold on, he brought his phone to his ear again. "Emmett," was all I heard him say. The sound of the wind rushing past drowned out anything else.

All of the Cullens must have taken up positions throughout the forest east of Forks to wait for the newborns. They hadn't told me of these plans. Probably to keep me from panicking even more.

There were only the six of them out there because Edward had stayed with me. Alice's last vision of the newborns had shown her there were twenty-one. Twenty-one blood thirsty newborns - plus the one who was directing them.

Edward was nearly flying through the forest. The trees were nothing but a green blur as we sped past. I didn't know how far we had gone when Edward stopped and his head snapped to the right.

I caught only a flash of movement through the trees and before I could scream, Emmett came crashing through the brush.

"Emmett, take her. I'm going to Jasper." He shoved me into Emmett's huge arms.

"Edward! I can take care of those newborns. You and Jazz and the rest don't have to..."

"Emmett! I said take her! Take care of her for me." Edward gently kissed my forehead. "I'll be back with you soon." Then he was gone.

"Oh, Emmett! He's gone! What are we going to do?" I wailed. The tears streamed down my face, and I clung to Emmett desperately.

"I don't know, Bells. We can't let the newborns near you or Forks. I'll ..." I could tell he had come to a decision. He ran back in the direction from which Edward and I had just come, but we didn't go nearly as far.

"Hang on tight, Bells. We're goin' up this tree."

It was a huge old fir. The trunk was bare of limbs up to about thirty feet, but that didn't discourage Emmett. He leaped, caught hold of the lowest branch and swung us both up into the tree. I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to him, my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his broad chest.

"You okay, Bells? We're going to go a bit higher. Put your arms under my arms and grab onto my shoulders."

I could do nothing but nod weakly against his hard chest as he climbed higher into the tree.

With one hand he climbed higher and higher. With the other, he held me tightly to his chest.

When he finally stopped, I opened my eyes and saw nothing but green around us. I didn't know how high we were, but when I looked down over his arm, I couldn't make out anything but needle-covered limbs. Though Emmett had stayed below the tree tops, we were surrounded by green. When I looked up, the limbs thinned out and I could make out patches of grey sky above us.

Emmett whispered into my ear, "This is as high as we go, Bells. Back in Tennessee when I was human, if you could get up a tree, then the bears couldn't get you. I didn't do so well that last time I ran across a bear." He shook his head at the memory. "We'll wait here for a minute. I want you to hang on to this tree trunk. One of us will be back to get you."

"Emmett, no! You can't leave me here. Where did Edward go?"

"Look Bells, you have to be quiet. Edward went that way to help Jasper." He jerked his head toward the east. "The newborns are headed this way. If they come by here, they'll smell your scent down there, but they won't smell you climbing the tree. They won't think you're up here. They should be out of their minds trying to get away from Jasper and Edward and everybody, and going crazy after they get a whiff of your scent."

He was pulling some sort of strap out of his pocket

"Emmett! You can't leave me here!"

"I have to Bells. You hold on tight to this trunk. I thought I might get to clothes line some newborns, but I'm going to use this strap to tie you to the tree. One of us _will_ be back to get you."

With that he pried me off his chest, sat me on a limb, and placed my arms around the tree trunk. As I scrambled to grip the trunk with my legs, Emmett wound that black strap several times around me and the tree and tied it about three feet above my head.

"Emmett, please don't leave me."

"Bells, you're safer here than with any of us. You need to be quiet." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "You know I've always loved you as my sister."

"You're the big brother I always wanted, Em. I love you. Please don't leave!"

He held one finger to his lips, patted my shoulder, and dropped through the limbs of the tree. I lost sight of him but heard the soft thud when he reached the ground. I couldn't see much, but through small gaps through the ever-present green, I spotted a light colored blur as he streaked toward the east.

I couldn't believe that he had left me there! My hysterical mind was stuck, repeating over and over, "They left me. They left me." I had to try and follow them.

I had no idea how high up the tree I was. What if I fell? I'd end up lying broken and bleeding on the ground.

Perfect bait for the newborns.

That was if I could untie the strap.

I jerked at the strap around me, frustrated. Then, toward my left, it sounded as if the Hounds of Hell had exploded through the crust of the earth. I clung to the tree and shrunk away from the thunderous growls and piercing snarls.

I stared in the direction of the blast of sound but couldn't see anything yet. Then I saw flashes of movement and color through the green. They were coming closer. Growls, screams and shrieks pummeled my ears. Booming thuds and cracks like gun shots edged closer. Then I heard the sound of metal being wrenched apart. Through a small break in the pervasive green, I glimpsed Alice's beautiful face. She was momentarily still then her head snapped around. She was looking directly at me.

"Bella, you're going to be okay."

Before I could even form a reply, I heard a terrifying snarl behind her. She spun in a blur to face it. She stopped and dropped into a crouch as a red-eyed male newborn vampire appeared out of nowhere and leaped toward her. His arm swept around from his side and his wide hand, fingers curled like claws, struck her on the side of her face. His fingers dug in, and as his leap carried him over and past her, he ripped her head from her shoulders with a grating, ear splitting screech.

-oOoOo-

"Bella. Bella, wake up."

A low male voice was whispering in my ear. I could smell smoke and something sweet. Too sweet.

My eyes fluttered slowly open, and I realized it was dark. I continued to smell smoke. Had there been a fire?

My legs, arms and butt ached in protest. Where the hell was I?

I blinked again and realized that my face was pressed against the rough bark of a fir tree. I was sitting on a limb. My arms and legs straddled the trunk, but my legs were resting on other limbs. Something was holding me to the tree.

I was tied to the tree.

I looked straight up. Through breaks in the needle covered limbs I could see the cloudy sky, faintly lit with moonlight.

Then I remembered.

Edward grabbing me and running from my house into the forest, and his shoving me into Emmett's arms. Emmett carrying me and climbing the tree. He tied me to the trunk with a black strap and knotted it up high so I couldn't reach it to untie it.

Then Alice ... Alice!

That newborn ...

My chin trembled as I drew in deep gasping breaths. Tears sprang to my eyes, and my hands tightened into fists and shook. My heart was splitting, cracking, breaking, and the tearing pain of it burst through my chest and tore through my throat in a wailing howl.

A cold hard hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off the sound, and the owner of that hand loomed over me. He whispered into my ear, "We don't have time for that, Bella. You need to hang on to this tree while I untie you. You're going to climb onto my back, and I'm going to tie you to me so you don't fall off. Do you understand?"

My eyes flew open and strained to see who was speaking. I knew it wasn't Edward. I could make out light colored hair that looked silvery in the moonlight.

Jasper. It was Jasper.

I blinked at him. He held my face so tightly I was unable to nod at him.

He leaned back and stared into my face. Even in the darkness, I could tell his eyes were black. "I'm going to take my hand from your mouth. Do not scream."

I could only blink at him again. I felt his palm ease away from my mouth.

"Hang onto the tree."

I clamped my arms around the trunk as he swiftly untied the strap.

He turned his back to me. "Climb on my back."

I was afraid to move and my mind went blank as I stared at the center of his back.

"Your t-shirt is ripped."

"Yes, it is. Now climb on my back."

My arms would not let go of the tree. Cramps seized my legs, locking them in place.

"I can't, my arms won't move," I whimpered. "My legs ..."

He sighed and turned to face me. He leaned in and peeled my arms from the tree then bent them around his neck. He reached between my stomach and the rough bark, grabbing my hips, and pulled me away from the trunk. He slid his hands under my thighs then to my knees and wrapped my legs around his waist. At vampire speed he bound me to him and started to climb down the tree.

With my head tucked into my shoulder, I couldn't see what he was doing but when he reached the section of trunk where there were no limbs he paused and looked around.

"Jasper," I whispered into his chest.

"What, Bella?" I heard his voice rumble through his chest.

"Thank you for coming back for me."

He didn't say anything.

"What's that sweet smelling smoke?"

"Fires. Burned vampires."

Burned vampires? Newborns?

"Jasper, what happened to Alice?" I asked, afraid that he wouldn't answer me; afraid of the answer he might give me.

I felt him take in a deep breath then he stilled.

"She ... she's gone." I only heard him because I felt the cool puff of his breath on my ear.

My own breath hitched and caught in my throat.

I didn't want to, but I had to know. What had happened to the rest of them? What had happened to Edward? Why wasn't he there with us?

I could not force air through my throat to say his name, but I felt compelled to ask. I had to ask. I needed to know.

My throat tightened, allowing no air to pass, but I forced his name through my lips. "Edward?"

Jasper still did not move. I felt his cool breath sigh across my face as he bent his head down toward mine.

"He's dead."

Dead? Edward could not be dead. He hadn't said good bye to me. He said he would be back. I didn't tell him that I loved him. He could not be dead!

I felt the pain welling up within me again, trying to force its way out. I felt the terrible ache building in my chest. I inhaled a ragged breath.

Jasper clamped his large hand over my mouth again and held my head tightly against his chest.

"Bella, you must be quiet. You cannot scream. What I know right now is that Esme, Edward and ... Alice are dead. I don't know what happened to the others. There were 19 newborns. You were right when you told Edward at your graduation that Victoria was connected to the newborns - she created them. She had another male attempting to control them. I took out ten of the newborns and that male. I found five newborns in pieces so I burned them. Victoria was distracted by your scent near this tree, and I got her. Two of the newborns ran directly north - a male and a small female. Two male newborns ran toward Forks. I didn't chase them. It wasn't worth the risk. Two newborns loose in Forks won't cause that much damage."

I shuddered at the thought of two vicious newborn vampires running loose in Forks. I thought of the damage just two of them could do, at how many people two of them could slaughter, and I shuddered again.

Jasper continued in his low, expressionless voice. "I don't think the Volturi are here yet, but with everything that's been going on over the last several months, I'm sure they would have sent a scout here. It's what I would do."

He gripped my jaw tighter and forced my head up so I had to look into his ink black eyes. "I've never lost a fight, Bella. Jacob Black and his wolves ... You should have listened to me."

He released my jaw. "You must be quiet. I'm going to jump through the trees for a while before I drop to the ground to run. It'll help to hide our scents."

When he finished speaking he leaped into the air, and I squealed. His right hand clamped down over my mouth again. I thought we were going to run into that next tree, and I screamed against his palm. He caught hold of a limb with his left hand and swung us around the tree trunk, planting his feet against the trunk.

"I told you to be quiet." He glared at me, and I knew no more.

-oOoOo-

I woke up slowly. I was lying on a hard wooden floor. My fingers felt rough dirty planks. There was a musty smell of age and dampness. I cautiously reached out with my hands and felt a rough board wall to my left. I must be in a building of some sort. I opened my eyes and, at first, I only saw darkness. But then I noticed some light. It must have been the moon. It was still night. I could just make out a ceiling above me. It seemed to be made of the same sort of rough cut wood as the floor and wall. I could see the dark beams holding up the roof.

I was on the floor of a shed or cabin. I listened intently but all I could hear was my own breathing and the soft chirp of crickets outside. There was some sort of buzzing sound. More bugs, I thought.

I moved to sit up and groaned. My muscles were achy and stiff and not cooperating. With another groan, I pushed myself up and leaned against the wall, my legs straight out in front of me.

I looked around the room or shack or whatever it was and saw an old stone fireplace to my right. There was a small window just beyond it. That was where the moonlight was coming in. There was no glass in the window.

As my eyes made their circuit around the room, I could see there wasn't anything in there but a bit of trash, crumpled papers, and a few crushed aluminum cans. Maybe it had been a hunting cabin?

In the room, directly across from me, I saw that someone was standing in the doorway. There was no door. His back was to me. I gasped and scrambled into the corner and looked around desperately for another way out.

There was only one exit and he was standing in front of it! Who was it? Was it Jasper?

"Jasper?" I asked tentatively.

His head turned to look over his shoulder at me. He slowly turned toward me, his shoulders rigid with tension. His tightly clenched fists trembled at his sides.

He must have knocked me out before. I didn't remember how I got there.

My eyes had gotten used to the dark in this old, abandoned cabin, but even if there hadn't been that small bit of light from the moon, I would have known when his glittering obsidian eyes reached me. I didn't think he was projecting his emotions toward me, but I felt it when his eyes touched my face.

I huddled in the corner beside the old stone fire place. I drew my knees up to my chest and tried to cover my head with my hands. I couldn't help trying to make myself as small as possible; to hide from him. It was stupid, it was pointless, but I couldn't help it. I felt his eyes on me. I began to feel the frigid hate radiating from him, and I jerked my hands from my face to look at him. For the first time I truly feared him.

When his tall form was square to me, I took in a breath to speak, not knowing what I could possibly say to him. Was there anything I _could_ say to him?

His left hand shot out in a slicing gesture, and I cringed away from him. There was no way I could get away from him even if I tried. He was blocking the only exit leading out of this room. I was a fragile, breakable human, and he was a vampire. The most lethal predator the world had ever known. I was trapped there in that corner, and I knew he was going to kill me. After all the near misses, I was finally going to die.

I heard him draw in a short breath.

"Quiet," he hissed.

The faint moonlight shining through the small window to my right lit his marble skin with a soft glow. I could see his jaw flex and his head cock to his right.

"The Volturi won't be able to ignore this." His deep voice was barely a whisper across his lips. He took a slow silent step toward me. A low growl rumbled in his chest. "They'll be here soon if they're not already."

As he took another silent step toward me his head suddenly tilted up, one eyebrow lifted. The corners of his mouth twitched faintly.

"I'm sure you didn't hear that. That was the first explosion. In Forks. The Volturi are here. Many more will die as they _clean up_."

He took another slow step toward me, as if he were stalking me. I was caught in his eyes. A rabbit frozen in the gaze of a cobra poised to strike. I could not move except to tremble and cower away from him.

His black eyes snapped to his left and then back to me, and his lips curved slightly higher.

"More explosions. Looks like some of Forks is going to burn. Like Jacob Black said, 'you got your wish'."

I was off the floor, pinned to the wall by his cold, steel-like body. His large hands gripped my arms and his nose nearly touched mine. I couldn't breathe. I never saw the movement, never saw the cobra strike.

His black eyes slid shut. His lips brushed across mine then trailed along the edge of my jaw to my neck. He inhaled and his wintry lips traced a searing line down my throat to my shoulder. He placed a light kiss where my shoulder curved into my neck.

With the tip of his nose he drew a faint line along my skin. I felt his tongue touch the pulse frantically racing through my jugular.

"Your scent ..." he sighed.

He pressed his body more firmly to mine, forcing me more tightly against the wall. His right hand slid up my arm, over my shoulder and slipped around my neck.

My left arm was free but it didn't matter. I could not escape him or the death I knew was coming for me at his hands. At his teeth.

His rage pulsed into me, hot and red. Instinctively, I tried to turn my face away from him, but he thrust his jaw against mine, his long fingers spread over the side of my face, holding me still.

His broad shoulders blocked my view of the small one room cabin. But it didn't matter any longer. Nothing mattered any longer. I accepted my fate. I had tried to run with the wolves and the vampires for too long, tempting that fate, and there was nothing left for me to live for.

Ed ... Edward was gone. Alice and Esme were gone. I didn't know what had happened to the rest of them. Were they torn apart? Dead and burned to ashes?

I didn't know what had happened to Char... Dad. Would he have been safe on the Reservation? Would anyone? How much of the town of Forks would the Volturi destroy to stop two newborn vampires?

I didn't hear the explosions. My weak human ears could not hear what Jasper's could, but he had no reason to lie. He had never lied to me. Forks and the people I loved were gone. It was all gone. I could only hope that Charlie had stayed on the Reservation with Jake and the wolf pack; hope that the newborns had been stopped and destroyed.

Utter despair filled me, forcing out Jasper's rage. I closed my eyes. My last view of this world would be of a dark, dirty abandoned shack deep in the mountains and Jasper's black, rage-filled eyes, his golden head bent to my throat.

Jasper had tried to stop the newborns. He had tried to save all of us. Because of me he lost his wife - his mate. Alice was gone. My Edward was ... gone. Because of me. But Jasper had tried. He had fought so hard.

He was pressing me so tightly to the wall, I didn't know if I had enough air to speak, but I had to try.

"Jasper," I choked out. "Jasper, I am so sorry I didn't listen to you. I am so sorry. Jasper, I love you."

I felt his cool breath across my neck and face, then he inhaled deeply again.

"You got your wish," he said again, his lips brushing against my throat. "I feel your despair and resignation. Your hopelessness. I will grant your other wish."

I barely felt the sting.

.


End file.
